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Dealer's trove of vintage Chevrolets auctioned

Bidders, car buffs and curiosity seekers are converging on Pierce, Nebraska for a weekend auction of vintage Chevrolets. The host of History Channel's 'Top Gear' called the rural auction site a "Field of Dreams" for old cars. (Sept. 28)
AP

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PIERCE, Nebraska — A handful of barely driven vintage Chevrolets has fetched more than half a million dollars at an auction that drew thousands of car buffs from around the world to a small northeast Nebraska town.

Bidders and gawkers crowded shoulder-to-shoulder for the auction in a muddy field just west of Pierce, a town of about 1,800. Spectators in helicopters and airplanes circled overhead as the lead auctioneer, Yvette VanDerBrink, inched down the auction line on a wooden platform hauled by a pickup.

Event organizers said an estimated 10,000 people traveled from as far as Norway and Brazil to see the sale in person, and more than 3,800 had registered online to bid at an auction website by mid-day Saturday.

The auction of more than 500 old cars and pickups was expected to continue on Sunday. Organizers said they hadn't yet totaled the bids for the roughly 50 most high-profile, low-mileage classic cars and trucks, which were auctioned on Saturday. As of midday, six of the most valuable models had sold for a combined $545,000.

The collection belonged to Ray Lambrecht and his wife, Mildred, who ran a Chevrolet dealership in downtown Pierce for five decades before retiring in 1996. Unlike most dealers, Ray Lambrecht stashed many of his unsold cars in a warehouse, at his farm and other spots around town if they didn't sell in the first year.

The first vehicle sold — a sky-blue, 1958 Chevy Cameo pickup driven 1.3 miles — secured the largest bid at $140,000. Another bidder spent $97,500 on a red and white 1963 Impala with 11.4 miles (18.4 kilometers) on its odometer, the manufacturer's plastic on the seat and a yellow typewritten window sticker displaying its original price: $3,254.70.

Lyle Buckhouse, a retired farmer from Hankerson, North Dakota, poked his head Saturday into a 1963 Chevy Corvair with 17.2 miles (27.7 kilometers) on the odometer. Moments later, the self-proclaimed "Corvair guy" was hunting eagerly for the bidder-registration tent.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Buckhouse said. "That's why I came down here. You just don't know what you're going to see."

Bob Esler, the owner of Bob's Garage in Westfield, Indiana, bought a four-door 1964 Bel Air station wagon for $30,000. The car had 326 miles (525 kilometers).

"This is one of the cars that I had my eyes on," Esler said, as he leaned against his new purchase. "I want to use it to haul all of my customers around."

"How are you getting it back home?" a friend asked.

Esler shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet," he said.

Preparations for the two-day auction began in June. VanDerBrink, the auctioneer, said she took calls from as far as Iceland, Singapore and Brazil before the event.

The two least-driven cars, a 1959 Bel Air and a 1960 Corvair Monza, had one mile (1.6 kilometers) on their odometers. The oldest vehicle with fewer than 20 miles (32 kilometers) dates to 1958; the newest is a 1980 Monza with nine miles (14.5 kilometers).

Some bidders used the auction to hunt for rare parts for their collector cars and trucks, while others came to watch the spectacle.

Ray Lambrecht opened the downtown dealership with his uncle in 1946, on the corner of Main Street and Nebraska Highway 13. The U.S. Army veteran quickly established himself as an unusual salesman: He gave his lowest price up front, without negotiation, and encouraged hagglers to try to find a better deal elsewhere.

The most valuable vehicles were stored for decades at a nearby warehouse, until a heavy snow collapsed the roof. Some were damaged, but many were saved and moved elsewhere. The models at the dealership were among the best preserved, even as the building gave way to bats and holes in the roof.

Ray and his wife, Mildred, retired in 1996. Ray, 95, and Mildred, 92, still live in Pierce, but their health has declined. They decided to sell the collection so others could enjoy the cars and pickups, said their daughter, Jeannie Stillwell, who lives in Florida.

Potential bidders look over vintage 1959 Chevrolets lined up in a field near the former Lambrecht Chevrolet car dealership in Pierce, Neb. An estimated 25,000 bidders from around the U.S. and the world converged on the small town of 1,700 for a two-day auction Saturday and Sunday that featured 500 old cars and trucks, mostly Chevrolets, that went unsold during the dealership's five decades in business. People also could bid online. (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

A 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, right, sits in the showroom of the former Lambrecht Chevrolet car dealership. To the left is a 1957 Bel-Air. At right rear is a 1963 Chevy and at left is a Corvair. About 50 of the vintage autos have fewer than 20 miles on the odometer. (Photo: Nati Harnik, AP)

Car buffs look over a batch of 1956 Chevrolets during a preview Friday for the weekend auction of vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb. (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

The steering wheel of a 1954 Chevrolet 4-door sedan that was for sale in the auction of about 500 vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb. (Photo: RYAN SODERLIN AP)

The odometer of a very rare 1958 Chevrolet Cameo truck, which is lined up for auction with other cars in a field for the auction on the Lambrecht family farm, reads just one mile. (Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)

Potential bidders check out a 1958 Chevrolet Cameo pickup during a preview for an auction of vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb., Friday Sept. 27, 2013. The pickup has just over one mile on it. The auction begins Saturday. (AP Photo/The Omaha World-Herald/Ryan Soderlin) MAGS OUT; ALL NEBRASKA LOCAL BROADCAST, TV OUT ORG XMIT: NEOMA102 (Photo: RYAN SODERLIN AP)

An auctioneer from theVanDerBrink auction house recognizes a bid during a sale of classic cars at the Lambrecht family farm last weekend in Pierce, Nebraska. The cars, more than 500 total, as well as tools, parts and memorabilia from the Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership were auctioned off. (Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)

An auction employee moves a 1953 Corvette toy pedal car after it sold for $16,000 in the auction of vehicles, parts and memorabilia from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce Neb. (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

Vintage Chevrolet automobiles fill the former Lambrecht Chevrolet showroom. Ray and Mildred Lambrecht decided to sell the collection so others could enjoy the cars and pickups, says their daughter, Jeannie Stillwell. Clockwise from left a Camaro, a '57 Chevy, a rare Chevy Cameo pickup, a Corvair, a '56 Chevy and a '62 Chevy. (Photo: Nati Harnik, AP)

Car buffs look over a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air 4-door sedan -- the Chevy with the bat-wing fins -- for sale in the auction of vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb. (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

Car buffs survey a 1959 Chevrolet Impala, foreground, and other Chevrolet vehicles for sale in the auction of vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb., (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

Potential bidders look over a 1965 Chevrolet Impala 2 door hardtop to be sold in the auction of vintage cars and trucks from the former Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership in Pierce, Neb. (Photo: Nati Harnik AP)

A few of the vehicles are not Chevys.A 1955 Ford Victoria is lined up for auction with other, mostly Chevrolet cars for auction on the Lambrecht family farm in Pierce, Nebraska. The car's odometer reads 2,659 miles. (Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)

A family photo shows Mildred Lambrecht, wife of the dealership owner, and their son Mark in a new 1953 Corvette -- the very first year of Corvette -- in front of the store. Ray Lambrecht, now 95, retired in 1996. (Photo: AP)